


She Lived

by sealandreich (orphan_account)



Category: Dark (TV 2017)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:27:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26775868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/sealandreich
Summary: Jonas, after talking to H.G. Tannhaus, realizes that Charlotte Tannhaus is the daughter of Noah and Elisabeth. Jonas reflects on her birth in 2041.This is a triple drabble, 300 words exactly. (I don’t know why Ao3 says it’s 301 words. I counted.) It’s from Jonas’ perspective entirely.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	She Lived

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to try to do drabbles. But doing a true 100 word drabble was too difficult, so I did this instead.

“Charlotte, my granddaughter—I think she might have been brought to me by time travelers.”

Of all the things old HGT had said, this was the sentence that struck Jonas’ very soul. Jonas couldn’t reveal the truth to him. He did his best not to get emotional while the clockmaker related the events of one particular November night. All Jonas could say was, “She’s where she belongs. She’s exactly where she should be.” 

Charlotte had lived. Before she was born, Jonas knew she wouldn’t be present in 2052. And he knew what her parents would become after she was gone: a cold-blooded murderer and a ruthless executioner. With that knowledge, combined with the belief that he still could change things, Jonas did the best he could to prevent Charlotte from dying young.

He spent weeks reading old medical books, learning about apnea of prematurity, bradycardia, respiratory distress syndrome, and countless other complications. Two months were spent in the NICU, watching over Charlotte, that tiny infant in the incubator, hooked up to monitors, IV lines, and other equipment. Countless times he’d have to tell Elisabeth that she couldn’t hold her own child yet or Noah that he couldn’t take the child home so soon. And countless times he’d have to endure accusations that he was trying to keep them away from their own child. Jonas was sure that was what caused them to believe he had taken their child. His efforts to prevent a child’s death earned him nothing but hatred.

Jonas had believed she was dead. He had even searched for her remains. But Charlotte was alive and safe here. She could be happy here, happier than she ever could have been in post-apocalyptic Winden. And this was what mattered. If she had a happy life, then it was all worthwhile.

**Author's Note:**

> Even though I didn’t mention Claudia, I believe she’d be right there with Jonas, doing her best to prevent Elisabeth from feeling the same pain she’d felt once: the pain of losing a daughter.


End file.
